Wade pushed the right buttons Sunday night

IRVING – Before the Cowboys took the field Sunday night, they heard from Wade Phillips.

“You’re playing for the world championship tonight,” Phillips told his players. “I hope you know that.”

Then he left the room.

It was the perfect message for a team with a painful history of blowing games they should win.

With a playoff berth at stake, Phillips wanted his team’s maximum effort. By telling them the game was for the world championship, Phillips let them know what was at stake. Had they lost, Dallas would have been forced to beat Philadelphia next week to get into the postseason.

“He always builds it up that the later you go the games get bigger,” tight end Jason Witten said.